Loaner V90 CC T6 vs regular S90 D4
 

Hi everyone,

My usual S90 D4 is away having a nose job after demolishing a Ford Fiesta who carelessly crossed my lane all of a few metres ahead of me without looking. Whilst new bumper, grille etc are being fitted I've been loaned a V90 Cross Country so I've been able to do a few comparisons for those of you mulling saloon vs wagon, petrol vs diesel, spec levels etc:

The Cars:
S90 Inscription D4 on 20s with Xenium Pack, Bowers & Wilkins, most options ticked
V90CC T6 on 19s, few options ticked

Initial thoughts? I prefer the higher ride height of the CC. Its not that big a difference but you can feel it. I had initial reservations about ride quality on 20" rims when I got the S90 - they look amazing but would they wear fast & be harsh? I'm entirely happy with the ride on them but can feel a touch more spring in the higher sidewalls on the 19" rims

Interior? Both are black leather, mine is Nappa, feels like the CC is not. Prefer Nappa! Also I have metal mesh inlays which look superb, the CC has dark wood which combined with the dark interior and no sunroof like on mine makes it a dark place to sit.

Engine. My D4 diesel is blissfully quiet and wafts me along. The T6 petrol wants to go with the slightest touch of throttle. I profess to being slightly giggly at the obvious supercharger whine when you push throttle down from low revs but tbh it doesn't feel anything like as quick as 315bhp sounds. Engine is also thirsty, my usual 65pmh cruise on the motorway at this time of year gets c. 55mph, same in the T6 35mph. Gearbox seems happier with the petrol engine though. Very few odd changes / jerks compared to mine.

Stuff. CC has no BLIS, no cameras, no sensors on the nose. Its a BIG car and its comedic how little you can see sat there with no guidance systems. Also has no smartphone integration, so I've dugout my old vent phone mount. Which for a £55k car feels daft. Sound system night and day inferior to Bowers but not a surprise I suppose. In the boot I like the pull up flap at the front of the boot for shopping bags - well thought through.

Overall? I like the wagon shape, the higher ride height and the 4wd - but may as well get another SUV style vehicle for those. I dislike the interior, the lack of frankly needed safety stuff, and the engine is ludicrous and not in a good way.

Interesting, thanks for that, always good to hear back to back comparisons. One thing, could we please call the V90CC an estate, I don't think its anything like the size of a wagon :-).

:wq

Petrol will never return the mpg achieved by a similar diesel, so it isn't a fair comparison in that respect. I find my T5, and previous T3 (V40) to be much quieter and smoother than the diesel equivalent. The T5 in a V60 is more than quick enough when needed.
However I am a low mileage user these days (8k pa) so petrol is the better option. If I was still doing 100+ miles a day I would definitely have gone for diesel.
Horses for courses I guess.

No phone integration? Really, no Bluetooth?

I suspect the OP means Apple Car Play or Android Auto.

But no bigger than your own S90?

I don't have BLIS or external cameras on my V90 (save for the reversing camera) but have absolutely no problem driving or parking it.

Yes it has Bluetooth. That's not what I describe as smartphone integration

Remember the eco GDi Petrol engines from 20 years ago ? Well just about all Petrol cars now including volvo use this technology so petrol fuel consumption need not be so bad as you would have though from Volvo of old ..... Just drive them economically :-) They are in fact petrol diesel engines , they even have the same compression ratios as modern diesels ...

It's a lovely engine this T6. Very smooth. Eager, too eager at low revs TBH- you know those comedy sped up bits of driving on the 1960s Batman show? I've almost done that pulling away with just a gentle jab of the loud pedal.

Having said a few years back that diesel was dead and that I'd never have another one, the D4 in my S90 was a compromise based on real world "do I have a choice?" logic. And the D4 is pretty decent. But T6 petrol? Very nice. Just very thirsty...

10.5 petrol vs 15.8 diesel for the current VEA engines. Thermal efficiencies of modern petrols and diesels are pretty poor due to NOx emissions regulations driving low compression ratios, luckily reductions in parasitic losses have nearly made up for it.